An in-depth look at the Clinton LumberKings from radio broadcaster Dave Lezotte. The LumberKings are the class A Midwest League Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.

Odds and Ends for 8/27

The LumberKings split a doubleheader with Quad Cities last night, losing 5-4 in 10 innings in game one before rebounding for a 6-3 win in game two. All 10 runs they scored in the game came in two innings, the fourth (game one) and the second (game two).

Vinnie Catricala went a combined 2-for-5 in the two games, extending his hitting streak to 15 games. That’s the longest streak by a LumberKing since Luis Nunez’s 17-game streak last year. Every long streak needs a bit of luck, and Vinnie received some in game two. Nick Franklin and Mickey Wiswall each singled with two outs to extend the seventh, and Catricala legged out a bounding baseball up the third-base line for an infield single.

Speaking of streaks, Wiswall saw his nine-game streak snapped, while Matt Cerione saw his eight-game streak end as well. Cerione’s still hitting .411 (23-for-56) in the month of August.

Left-hander Jason Markovitz tossed 3.0 scoreless innings in game two, making his first career start in a spot role. Aside from two walks in his final frame, he looked fairly impressive with a well-controlled fastball and a sharp curveball.

Yes, Clinton had their chances to win game one. Henry Contreras popped up a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the seventh, and Gabriel Noriega grounded out to end the game with the tying and game-winning runs in scoring position in the bottom of the 10th. It’s a tough way for those chances to end, but you can’t blame either one for being aggressive at the plate. You don’t want to see Contreras watch strike three in his situation, and you don’t want to see Noriega take good pitches either the way he’s been stinging the ball lately.

Outfielder Daniel Carroll was activated from the disabled list today and shipped up to high-A High Desert. Seattle’s third-round pick in 2007, Carroll last played with the Mavs in 2008. Here’s hoping he finishes the season strong and stays above the Midwest League.

Franklin remains just one homer shy of the single-season franchise record. Maybe tonight’s the night to tie Dick Kenworthy. As for the team, the Kings lead the league with 124 team home runs, surpassing (what we think is) the franchise record of 115, set by the 2008 LumberKings.

Erasmo Ramirez lowered his ERA to 2.70 yesterday, second in the Midwest League. He’s closing in on Kane County lefty Ian Krol (2.65) for the ERA title and would be Clinton’s second-straight ERA champ (Kenn Kasparek, 2.41 ERA last year).

With 12 games remaining, the Kings remain ahead of Kane County by 2.0 games for the top playoff spot in the West. Following tonight’s game, they finish the season with five games in Peoria, three at home against Beloit and three on the road at Burlington.

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